Humorous Automotive factors chief Austin Prock powered to his first profession victory on the U.S. Nationals, defeating back-to-back winner Ron Capps within the last spherical of the seventieth annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals on Monday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Clay Millican (High Gas), Aaron Stanfield (Professional Inventory) and Gaige Herrera (Professional Inventory Motorbike) additionally received the 14th of 20 races throughout the 2024 NHRA Mission Meals Drag Racing Sequence season. All 4 drivers received the U.S. Nationals for the primary time.
Prock went 3.885s at 327.98 mph in his Cornwell Instruments Chevrolet Camaro SS within the last spherical, leaving the beginning line first and holding off Capps’ 3.935. It offers Prock his fifth victory this season, as he defeated Chris King, Alexis DeJoria and Blake Alexander to succeed in the finals, beating Capps to earn his ninth profession victory. It continues to be a dream season for Prock, who will enter the Countdown to the Championship playoffs within the factors lead and as a championship favourite. This weekend couldn’t have gone higher for Prock, who was the No. 1 qualifier and adopted it up together with his first win on the world’s greatest drag race.
“We acquired our first U.S. Nationals win, tremendous happy with the group. It was an amazing effort all weekend lengthy,” Prock mentioned. “Everybody talks about Indy, it’s the largest race of the yr, and it’s. However all weekend lengthy I handled it even lower than a race, I type of handled it as a take a look at session and simply tried to remain centered and race my very own lane. That was ok to get the job carried out this weekend. I’m very happy with the group. It nonetheless hasn’t hit me that we received the U.S. Nationals.
“So many individuals dream of profitable this race and only a few have. I’m very proud so as to add my title to that listing with my dad (crew chief Jimmy), my brother Thomas turning the knobs with Nate Hildahl. It’s a reasonably surreal second. To cap off the common season the way in which we did may be very comforting. I don’t see us slowing down any time quickly. Folks say once you’re scorching, you’re scorching and proper now we’re scorching and have been all yr lengthy.”
Capps, who simply missed out on turning into the primary Humorous Automotive driver to win the U.S. Nationals three straight years, superior to his one hundred and fiftieth profession last spherical and third this season on the power of victories towards J.R. Todd, Buddy Hull and Jack Beckman. He moved to fifth in factors, whereas Prock opens the Countdown to the Championship within the factors lead.
In High Gas, Clay Millican was additionally a first-time winner on the prestigious U.S. Nationals, defeating four-time world champion Steve Torrence within the last spherical with a run of three.792 at 327.82 in his 11,000-horsepower Arby’s/Elements Plus dragster. Millican struggled in qualifying, getting into race day within the No. 13 spot, however made main enhancements when it counted, together with a 3.695 at 333.74 to defeat Antron Brown within the first spherical.
He adopted with spherical wins towards Josh Hart and Brittany Drive to succeed in the ultimate spherical, driving previous Torrence together with his third straight run within the 3.70s to succeed in Indy glory. It’s Millican’s first victory of the season and the seventh in his profession, and the veteran will transfer to sixth in factors to begin the Countdown to the Championship. For now, although, Millican is simply serious about his unbelievable Monday on drag racing’s greatest stage.
“I’ve positively been the underdog my total life. I promise you that, however I’ve a variety of struggle in me,” Millican mentioned. “Nothing will ever prime [my first win in] Bristol, together with the U.S. Nationals, however that is like profitable the Tremendous Bowl, the Daytona 500, the World Sequence. That is career-defining stuff.
“To win with [team owner] Rick Ware right here was cool. I received 3 times final yr and he wasn’t at any of them. He got here on Friday, he has two NASCAR groups racing in Darlington, however he was right here. It was cool to name him final yr and say we received, however there may be nothing like being right here.”
Torrence superior to his second last spherical of the yr and 89th in his profession on the power of spherical wins towards Billy Torrence, Ida Zetterstrom and Tony Stewart. Doug Kalitta, who didn’t qualify on the U.S. Nationals, will open the playoffs because the factors chief, with Justin Ashley in second.
Aaron Stanfield made historical past by turning into the primary driver in NHRA historical past to win two occasions in a single weekend on the U.S. Nationals, following up his victory in Holley EFI Manufacturing facility X on Monday with a win in Professional Inventory, knocking off teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. within the last spherical with a go of 6.561 at 209.36 in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Storage/Melling Efficiency/Janac Brothers automobile. It’s Stanfield’s fourth Professional Inventory victory of 2024 and it will actually be the spotlight after his historic double-up.
To succeed in the championship spherical, Stanfield knocked off Matt Hartford, Cory Reed and No. 1 qualifier Greg Anderson, holding off Coughlin within the last spherical to choose up his first Professional Inventory victory on the world’s greatest drag race. It’s additionally the twelfth profession victory for Stanfield, who enters the Countdown to the Championship second in factors and with loads of momentum as he seeks his first world championship coming off his unbelievable weekend at The Massive Go.
“I’ve been shut [to doubling] a few occasions, so I’m okay with the previous races to not get it carried out, as a result of that is the place to do it,” Stanfield mentioned. “There’s a lot historical past at this racetrack, and it’s particular to me to not solely win Indy Professional Inventory and Manufacturing facility X each in the identical day and put my title down on the historical past books.
“Indy’s all the time a busy week for me. It’s a curler coaster of feelings the entire total time, and I knew I had two good scorching rods, and I knew I had a very good probability to win, however this race has kicked my butt up to now, and it simply feels nice.”
Coughlin superior to the finals for the fourth time this season and 119th time in his standout profession, defeating Eric Latino, Troy Coughlin Jr. and Erica Enders within the course of. Dallas Glenn will take the factors chief into the postseason.
Successful the U.S. Nationals was the one factor Gaige Herrera didn’t accomplish final yr, however the reigning Professional Inventory Motorbike champ took care of enterprise on Monday this yr, posting an ideal .000 response time after which going 6.763 at 198.70 on his RevZilla/Mission Meals/Vance & Hines Suzuki to defeat Angie Smith and enter Indy immortality. After not profitable the previous two races, Herrera, the dominant factors chief, captured the largest victory of the yr – his seventh of the 2024 marketing campaign.
To advance to the ultimate spherical, Herrera, who certified No. 1, dipped into the 6.70s in three rounds, together with a weekend-best 6.722 at 199.35 within the opening spherical. He adopted with a 6.755 towards Chase Van Sant after which knocked off teammate Richard Gadson. After an ideal response time towards Smith, Herrera rolled to the victory, which actually ranks among the many prime of his 18 profession wins.
“This race may be very particular for me. Two years in the past, I made my debut right here. Two years in the past, Andrew Hines had COVID sitting on his sofa and didn’t even know my title till I made my first go right here,” Herrera mentioned. “This one may be very particular. For me to have the ability to get this win, I really feel like this was the largest monkey of all on my again. Final yr, I had the only half fail, which price me going previous second spherical. To get the win right here, regardless that I received the championship final yr, I really feel like this virtually surpasses that.
“This ranks on the prime, all of the stuff that I’ve carried out so far as creating historical past or beating Bob Glidden’s document – all through my years, I’m in all probability going to recollect this over all of that. That is one everybody desires to win. It’s the Tremendous Bowl of drag racing. To get this win, I really feel like I’ve type of achieved what I needed in Professional Inventory Motorbike. It’s loopy to say {that a} yr and a half into my Professional Inventory Motorbike profession, however I’m not stopping but.”
Smith reached the ultimate spherical for the primary time this season and the eighth time in her profession due to spherical wins towards Steve Johnson, Marc Ingwersen and her husband, Matt. Herrera would be the factors chief heading into the playoffs, with Smith in second.
The NHRA Mission Meals Drag Racing Sequence returns to motion Sept. 12-15 with the thirty ninth annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Studying, Pa. It’s the first of six races within the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
